Address matching system and method

ABSTRACT

An address matching system that maintains a central database of valid addresses has been designed. According to the invention, address matching requests are received by the system from a plurality of remote users located at respective machines (“clients”). Those requests are processed at the central system, and the results are returned to the client that made the request. In addition, novel techniques are implemented for improving the likelihood of obtaining one or more matches from a request.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/776,912, filed May 10, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/748,460, filed on May 14, 2007, which isa Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/692,031, filed Oct.19, 2000, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,236,970, which claims the benefit ofthe filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/154,523, filed Oct. 19, 1999 and entitled “USER ADMINISTRATION FORON-LINE POSTAGE SYSTEM”, the entire contents of which is herebyexpressly incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to secure printing of value-bearing items(VBI), such as postage for letters and other items to be delivered bythe United States Postal Service (USPS). More specifically, theinvention relates to a system and method for validating addresses usinga central address matching database, with such address matching beingconducted over a communications network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A significant percentage of the United States Postal Service (USPS)revenue is from metered postage. Metered postage is generated byutilizing postage meters that print a special mark, also known as postalindicia, on mail pieces. Generally, printing postage and any other VBIcan be carried out by using mechanical meters or computer-based systems.Conventionally, a business or other entity will have a meter at itsplace of business, and will use the meter to print postal indicia onmail pieces or on labels that are then affixed to the mail pieces.

With respect to computer-based postage processing systems, the USPS,under the Information-Based Indicia Program (IBIP), has publishedspecifications for IBIP postage meters that identify a Postal SecurityDevice (PSD). The PSD, in conjunction with the user's personal computerand printer, functions as the IBIP postage meter. The USPS has publisheda number of documents describing the PSD specifications, the indiciaspecifications and other related and relevant information. There arealso security standards for printing other types of VBI, such ascoupons, tickets, gift certificates, currency, vouchers, and the like.

One of the standards required by the USPS is that the address of theintended recipient of a piece of mail be verified by comparing theentered address with a database of valid addresses provided by the USPS.Conventionally, this requires that the sender have the databaseinstalled on their local computer and compare the intended destinationaddress with the addresses in the database. Moreover, when the USPSprovides a new release of addresses, each sender is required to obtainthe updated database to continue to validate addresses. Thus, such asystem can be burdensome to its users.

In addition, since addresses vary widely in teens of number of elementsin the address and various address formats, address matching can be adifficult undertaking, even with a current list of all valid addressesavailable to the sender.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and system forperforming address matching from a single, central location, therebydoing away with the need for each remote user to maintain an updateddatabase of valid addresses. In addition, it would be desirable to havesuch a system and method that allows addresses to be validated once froma particular sender, such that when the sender desires to use apreviously validated address again, there is no need to perform addressmatching a second time. Moreover, it would be desirable to have a methodand system that takes a desired address and manipulates the format intomultiple structures before comparing the address with a set of validaddresses in order to increase the likelihood of obtaining a match. Thepresent invention addresses these desirable features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an addressmatching system that maintains a central database of valid addresses hasbeen designed. According to the invention, address matching requests arereceived by the system from a plurality of remote users via respectivedevices (“clients”). Those requests are processed at the central system,and the results are returned to the client that made the request.

In one embodiment, the central system, in cooperation with the client,utilizes novel address matching techniques to increase the likelihood offinding a match for a received address. Preferably, the inventionutilizes one or more query permuters to arrange the address data indifferent formats in an effort to increase the likelihood of finding amatch for a particular address.

In another aspect, the invention describes a method for matching anaddress entered by a user with a database of valid addresses,comprising: receiving the address from a source; accessing a databasethat contains one or more valid addresses; comparing the address fromthe user with the database of valid addresses; and storing informationrelating to the address in a companion file if a match is found.

In yet another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method forvalidating an address, comprising: receiving the address from a source,accessing a database of valid addresses, comparing the address from thesource with the database of valid addresses, and storing selectedinformation relating to the address in a companion file at the remoteterminal if a match is found.

In still another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method ofvalidating an address, comprising: receiving address data in aparticular format; manipulating the data into a predetermined formatcorresponding to the particular format; comparing data in thepredetermined format with valid addresses in the database; andpresenting the results if one or more matches are found.

In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method forimporting one or more addresses from a database of addresses, where thedatabase of addresses stores address data in a selected format. Themethod involves storing the one or more addresses at the database ofaddresses in the selected format; receiving the address data along withidentification data to identify at least a characteristic of thedatabase of addresses; processing the identification data; andprocessing the address data in a particular manner based on theidentification data corresponding to the database of addresses.

In yet another embodiment, the invention is directed to a system forcomparing a received address with a set of validated addresses. Thesystem includes a remote device that maintains an internal address bookin a particular data format. The remote device includes at least oneaddress book provider that is operative to interact with an externaladdress book, the provider being operative to access data in theexternal address book and to provide data relating to the databasestructure format of the external address book. The system also includesan address matching server that maintains a database containing the setof validated addresses. The address matching server is capable ofcommunication with the remote device via a communication network, and isoperative in response to receipt of the address data and the databasestructure format data from the remote device to process the addressdata, compare the processed data with the set of validated addresses,and transmit one or more matches to the remote device.

In still another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method ofcomparing a received address with a set of validated addresses,including identifying an address in an external address book; accessingcorresponding address data in the external address book with an addressbook provider that is operative to interface with the external addressbook; checking the address data against a local companion file todetermine whether the address is valid; and validating the address at anaddress matching server that maintains a database of valid addresses ifthe result of the check with the local companion file does not validatethe address.

In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method ofcomparing a received address with a set of validated addresses,including identifying an address in an external address book; accessingcorresponding address data in the external address book with an addressbook provider; and validating the address at a remote address matchingserver that maintains a database of valid addresses.

In yet another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method ofcomparing a received address with a set of validated addresses,including identifying an address in an external address book; accessingcorresponding address data in the external address book with an addressbook provider; and validating the address at a server that maintains adatabase of valid addresses, wherein validating comprises using one ormore query permuters to process the address data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, advantages and features of this invention will become moreapparent from a consideration of the following detailed description andthe drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a remote user terminal(“client”) connected to an address matching server via a two-waycommunication network according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flow diagram of an address matching routineaccording to one illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow diagram of an address comparison routineaccording to one illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an address importing routine according to one illustrativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the system of FIG. 1 and including pluralexternal address book providers according to one illustrative embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 6 is a chart of various field names used by various externaladdress books;

FIG. 7 is a schematic depiction of a direct permutation process totransform an input address format into a USPS-supported schema;

FIG. 8 is a schematic depiction of a single-line permutation process totransform an input address format into a USPS-supported schema;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting the operational flow of a truncatepermutation process to transform a portion of a direct permutationoutput into a new format;

FIG. 10 is a screen shot of a suitable user interface to allow a user toenter address information in a free format;

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of a typical user interface listing pluralpossible matches for an address validation request; and

FIG. 12 is a screen shot of a suitable user interface to allow a user toenter address information in a structured format.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an address matching system 10according to one illustrative embodiment of the invention. The addressmatching system 10 includes an address matching system (AMS) server 12that maintains a database 14 of a set of validated addresses. The AMSserver 12 communicates with one or more remote terminals 16 (hereinafterreferred to as “clients”). While only one client 16 is shown in FIG. 1,it will be understood that the system 10 is capable of interaction withmultiple clients through a suitable interface. The clients 16 and AMSserver 12 engage in two-way communication over a suitable communicationnetwork 18. In one embodiment, communication network 18 comprises theInternet. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that thecommunication network may take many different fowls, such as a localarea network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wired telephone network,wireless network, or any other network that supports data communicationbetween respective entities.

The clients 16 may take many different forms, and in one illustrativeembodiment comprise a personal computer and printer, with the personalcomputer in one embodiment being in communication with a PSD, eitherlocally or over a communications network. Alternatively, the clients 16may comprise computers or any other device that has processingcapabilities and that may engage in communication over communicationnetwork 18. Other examples are wireless display devices, cellulartelephones, and other mobile devices. The clients 16 are preferablyprogrammed to provide functionality to allow users (“senders”) to enteraddresses in various format structures, and to compare those addresseswith the database of valid addresses. The functionality of the clients16 in verifying addresses is described in greater detail below inconnection with FIGS. 2-4 and 9. The functionality of the client 16 andPSD in printing postage indicia in one illustrative embodiment isdescribed in more detail in pending application Ser. No. 09/651,390,entitled “VIRTUAL PRINTING OF INDICIA, LOGOS AND GRAPHICS”, filed onAug. 29, 2000, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporatedby reference. An exemplary on-line system is described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/163,993 filed Sep. 15, 1998, the entire contentsof which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

AMS server 12 will typically be associated with a web site that isaccessible by each client 16 using a suitable Uniform Resource Locator(URL) address or the like, and will maintain a database 14 of validaddresses, which is accessed by the server 12 in response to receipt ofan address match request from a client 16, along with address datacorresponding to the address that a sender at client 16 wishes toverify.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the basic operation of the address matchingsystem 10 is described in more detail. Operation begins at step 30, witha sender entering a destination address for a corresponding piece ofmail into the associated client 16. FIG. 10 shows a suitable userinterface 21 that client 16 may present to user for input of thepertinent shipping information. User interface 21 includes a pair ofwindows 22 into which the user may enter delivery and return addressesin a free form (i.e., without separating the address information intomultiple fields). The user interface 21 also includes a number ofwindows 23 into which the user may enter postage information, as is wellknown in the art.

At query block 32, client 16 determines whether the address has beenpreviously validated. In one embodiment, this is accomplished byaccessing a companion file maintained by the client 16 that storesselected information relating to each address that has previously beenvalidated, and by comparing the address data with the data stored in thecompanion file. This process is described in greater detail below inconnection with FIG. 3.

If the address has been previously validated, then operation proceeds tostep 34, and the address is suitable for use and client 16 may use theaddress in a postage meter procedure. On the other hand, if the addresshas not been previously validated, then operation instead proceeds tostep 36, and client 16 processes the address and then makes an addressmatching request to AMS server 12, along with the processed addressdata. Processing of the address data can take many different fauns, asis described in greater detail below. An example of such processing isdescribed below in connection with FIG. 9.

Operation then proceeds to step 36, and AMS server 12 compares thereceived address data with the data in database 14. As will beunderstood in the art, each record in database 14 will preferablyconsist of a plurality of elements (or fields), as will the receivedaddress data. Thus, AMS server 12 compares corresponding fields todetermine whether one or more matches exists, and the results aretransmitted to the requesting client 16 at step 38. The results arepreferably presented to the user as a list, such as the list shown inFIG. 11.

As used herein, the term “match” does not require that the address datacorrespond identically to the data in database 14. Rather, a match (orat least a potential match) may be declared where there is a substantialsimilarity between the address data and the data in one or more records.As is well known in the art, a match can be declared when the two setsof data exceed some preset threshold. For example, a match can bedeclared where each field exceeds some preset threshold. Alternatively,a match can be declared where certain of the fields match identically(such as the field that contains the city data) and where the otherfields exceed some threshold matching value. Thus, it will be understoodthat a match can be declared in many different ways.

Operation then proceeds to query block 40, and client 16 determineswhether there are more than one match in the results. If not, thenoperation proceeds to step 42, and the matched address may then be usedby the client 16 in a postage meter procedure. If, on the other hand,the AMS server 12 returned more than one potential match, then operationproceeds to step 44, and the sender selects one of the potentialaddresses. Client 16 then prepares an address match request with theaddress data from the selected address. The query is transmitted to AMSserver 12. At step 46, AMS server 12 processes the request, andtransmits all necessary information relating to the single address toclient 16, which may then use the address in a postage meter procedure.Operation then terminates.

In one embodiment, at step 46 the AMS server 12 employs an addressfilter to ensure that only a single address is returned to client 16(i.e., in a match address single query). The filter only allows anaddress that exactly matches the input address to proceed to client 16.If there is no exact match, then the filter blocks all addresses exceptfor a default address, as determined by server 12. When the filteranalyzes a returned range-based address, it initially determines whetherthe contents of that result, aside from the range, match thecorresponding contents in the original input address. If so, the filterdetermines whether the ranged value lies within the range in the resultaddress. If so, then the filter considers the address identical andserver 12 passes the address back to client 16.

On the other hand, if the contents of the result, aside from the range,do not match the corresponding contents in the original input address,then the filter only passes a default address.

When the server 12 returns the results to client 16, some of theaddresses may contain ranges (e.g., 100 Main Street Suite 100-105). Ifthat address is the one selected by the user, client 16 then requiresuser to select the correct number from the range (e.g., Suite 102). Thataddress is then transmitted back to server 12 for cleansing andvalidation. For this query, client 16 utilizes at “Matching AddressSingle” query for validation, and the results ensures a return of aDelivery Point Bar Code (DPBC) value. The “Matching Address Single”query is described in greater detail below.

In one embodiment, AMS server 12 returns the results of an addressvalidation along with a result code to indicate to client 16 the outcomeof the validation process. For example, the result code may indicatethat the input address 1) is valid, 2) is corrected, 3) was not found,4) has multiple potential matches, 5) includes an invalid number orstreet, 6) includes an invalid city, 7) includes an invalid state, 8)includes an invalid ZIP code, and the like. The result code may then beused by client 16 accordingly.

In this manner, system 10 provides a server-based address matchingsystem that does not require each user to maintain a database ofvalidated addresses. As the set of validated addresses changes, only thecentral database 14 at server 12 requires updating. Each individualclient 16 need not update any list in their respective memories. In thismanner, system 10 ensures that addresses may be properly validated assoon as database 14 is modified. There is no need to rely upon eachindividual user at each client 16 to update the respective machines.

As described above, each client 16 preferably maintains one or morecompanion files (e.g., data files, a database, or any other suitablestorage location in a memory) to which is saved selected data for eachvalidated address. In one embodiment, the records in the companion fileare purged when the client 16 software determines that the recordexpiration date has expired, thereby requiring that the previouslyvalidated addresses be validated again. In another embodiment, eachrecord includes an associated expiration date, so that client 16 maydetermine whether the record is valid or whether it has expired, suchthat the address must be validated through AMS server 12.

In one illustrative embodiment, client 16 maintains a companion file foreach address book with which client 16 interacts. Thus, client 16maintains a companion file for its own internal address book, and pluralcompanion files for respective external address books, as is describedin more detail below. Each address book generates a unique addressidentity for each address record. The address identity data is stored inthe companion file as a data record. In one embodiment, each record inthe companion file also includes a plurality of data members,including: 1) ZIP code, 2) Address Hash, 3) Address Hash Size, 4)Address Identity, 5) Expiration date, and 6) Archive Version. The ZIPcode is preferably the full twelve-digit ZIP code (ZIP plus add-on plusdelivery point plus check digit), or the five-digit ZIP code if the AMSserver 12 did not assign an add-on to the validated address.

The Address Hash is the hash value for the last two printed lines (allin upper case) of the address when it was validated. As is well known inthe art, a hash value is a number generated from a string of text. Thehash value is substantially smaller than the text itself, and isgenerated by a formula in such a way that it is extremely unlikely thatsome other text will produce the same hash value. The Address Hash sizeis the actual size, in bytes, of the Address Hash value.

The Address Identity data member is a key that uniquely identifies theaddress to which the companion record corresponds in an address bookdatabase, to associate the address in an address book with the companionrecord in the companion file for that address book. As described above,client 16 preferably maintains a companion file for each address book.

The Expiration date, in one embodiment, corresponds to the expirationdate of the AMS database used to cleanse the address. The AMS server 12provides this date as part of the output of each address matchingtransaction. The expiration date is the date at which the addressvalidation expires for the corresponding record. After that date, theaddress is no longer considered valid, even if the user has not alteredit and the hash values match.

The Archive Version is a version number for the respective recordformat. If a change is made to the companion record format, the softwarecan identify “old” records and “new” records based on the ArchiveVersion information, which is used to ease future changes to the formatof companion file records. In one embodiment, the Archive Version numberis used in conjunction with the Microsoft® Foundation Classes objectserialization feature (which is used to read and write companion files).

Referring now to FIG. 3, operation of system 10, and in particularclient 16, in connection with validating an address from an address bookis described in more detail. Operation begins at step 60, with the userselecting a desired destination address from an address book at client16. At query block 62, client 16 determines whether there is acorresponding record in the companion file for the selected address. Inone embodiment, this is accomplished by accessing the Address Identityvalues in the companion file to determine whether there is an associatedrecord for the selected address. If not, operation proceeds to step 64,and the selected address must be validated through AMS server 12. System10 then proceeds through the process shown in FIG. 2 and describedabove.

On the other hand, if there is an associated record in the companionfile, the operation proceeds to query block 66, and client 16 determineswhether the record in the companion file is expired, for example, byreviewing the Expiration date data member stored in the companion filerecord. If the record has expired, then the record is stale andoperation proceeds to step 64. If the record is instead extant, thenoperation proceeds to query block 68, and client 16 determines whetherthe address has been altered by the user. Preferably, this isaccomplished by comparing hash values for the selected address and therecord in the companion file. In one embodiment, the hash value isgenerated from the last two lines of the address (e.g., street andcity/state/ZIP), and the hash value is compared to the recorded hashvalue in the record. If the hash values match, then operation proceedsto step 70, and the selected address is still valid. If the hash valuesdo not match, then operation proceeds to step 64, and the address mustbe validated through AMS server 12.

In one embodiment, each client 16 maintains an internal address book(i.e., a data file) that contains address records stored in apreselected format. For example, the address book may include thefollowing element fields for each record, in a specific order: Name,Title, Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code. This order is theinternal canonical schema supported by system 10.

System 10 also provides software resident at each client 16 that allowsfor the importation of address data from various third-party addressbooks into the address book maintained by client 16. In one illustrativeembodiment, client 16 maintains a plurality of address book providers 15(FIG. 5), with each provider 15 being operative to interface with acorresponding external address book application. In another embodiment,for example, in the case of address books that do not have an associatedprovider 15, the importation of addresses relies on comma-separatedvalue (CSV) files. As is understood by those skilled in the art, manysoftware applications can generate CSV files that contain data in fieldsseparated by commas.

Operation of the system 10 in importing CSV files is now described inconnection with FIG. 4. Operation commences at step 80, with a user atclient 16 requesting to import one or more addresses from a third-partyaddress book. At step 82, the user selects the CSV file(s) to importfrom a list of CSV files stored in memory, or in any other suitablemanner. Client 16 then prompts the user to select the address bookapplication used to store the CSV file, and at step 84 the user enterssuch information. Client 16 maintains a set of data corresponding tofield types and field sequence for each address book application. Forexample, one address book application may designate five fields for eachaddress record in a selected order, such as name, organization, streetaddress, city and state, and ZIP code. Another address book applicationmay include the name and organization in one field, and separate thecity and state into different fields. Thus, client 16 is preferablyprogrammed with such information for various address book applications.

Operation then proceeds to step 86, and client 16 receives the CSVfile(s) from the file system, and also retrieves the appropriate formatinformation based on the address book application identified by theuser. Client 16 then parses through the data in the CSV file(s), readingthe data for the respective fields and inserting the data into a formatthat is supported by client 16 and that is suitable for storage in thenative address book database of system 10. As is known in the art, theUSPS address matching service supports a particular schema format (FIG.7), in which the first field contains data relating to Address Line 1(e.g., street address), the second field contains data relating toAddress Line 2 (e.g., Post Office Box number) and a firm or organizationname, the third field contains data relating to the city, the fourthfield contains data relating to the state, and the fifth field containsdata relating to the ZIP code.

Thus, client 16 determines, based on the address book application usedto create the address record, which portion of the CSV data maps to thenative address book database supported by system 10. Then, this data ismapped to canonical fields as all other address book databases areaccessed through the respective address book providers, as is describedin more detail below.

Operation then proceeds to query block 88, and client 16 determineswhether the user wishes to validate one or more of the addresses via AMSserver 12. If so, then system 10 performs the validation process as isdescribed above in connection with FIG. 2. If not, then operationterminates.

If the user wishes to validate an address, client 16 determines whethera match has been found for each address that the user wishes tovalidate. As described above, the validation process may includetransmitting a list of potential matches to client 16 for display to theuser, and then allowing the user to select from that list to create amatch. If a match is found, the address data is added to the addressbook maintained by client 16, and information relating to the matchedaddress is stored in the companion file, as described above.

As described in more detail below, when client 16 is provided with alist of potential address matches, the user then may select one of theaddresses from the list. Once the user selects one of the addresses,server 12 is queried again using one or more permuters, as are describedin more detail below. Server 12 then returns a validated, cleansedaddress that is stored in the appropriate address book, and theappropriate updates are made to the corresponding companion file.

On the other hand, if there are no matches found for one or more of theaddresses, client 16 determines whether the user wishes to correct theaddress information for the unapproved address or addresses, bydisplaying a suitable graphic on the screen and allowing the user todecide whether to correct the address(es) or not. If not, then thenon-approved address data is discarded. If the user does wish to correctan address, then client 16 receives such information from the user. Inone embodiment, client 16 displays a suitable graphic with plural fields(windows) into which the user may enter or modify data, as is shown inFIG. 12. Once the user has entered the changes, client 16 once againattempts to validate the address via AMS server 12.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown another illustrative embodimentof system 10. In this embodiment, system 10 maintains one or moreexternal address book application programming interface (API) providers15 (hereinafter “address book providers”). Each address book provider 15is designed to natively support a corresponding external address book,such that the address data at each external address book need not bestored in CSV (or some other) format prior to introduction to client 16.In one illustrative embodiment, the address book providers 15 are COMcomponents that are installed by client 16. For example, one or more ofthe address book providers 15 are built on Extended Systems' Harmonytranslator API that enables direct address book database traversal.Other providers 15 may be based on Messaging Application ProgrammingInterface (MAPI) protocol. When each address book provider 15 isinstalled, the provider registers in a suitable registry, such asWindows registry, using the COM category API.

Each address book provider 15 is designed to interface between theclient address book component 15 and the respective external addressbook component 17, which allows for dynamically modifying data in thecorresponding address book, without the need for making a copy of thedata contained in the external address book. Each provider 15 allowsaccess to the database or databases of the respective external addressbook, and provides the mechanism for translating, in both directions,between the external address book's database structure and the internalcanonical schema of system 10 (e.g., data or other instructions thatserve to identify the pertinent characteristics of the external addressbook). This then allows for entering addresses through system 10, andwriting them to an external address book 17, or reading address datafrom one or more external address books 17 and processing the addressdata at server 12 to map the address data into a data structure that hasthe appropriate format for comparison with the set of validatedaddresses maintained by server 12.

When an address book provider 15 is loaded, it reports its schemarepresentation to client 16, and for each field in its schema, theprovider communicates 1) the name of the field, 2) a canonical fieldname to which the field is mapped, 3) data type (e.g., string), 4) datasize, and 5) attributes of that field. Thus, when address data is readfrom a particular address book and such data is made available to client16, client 16 may pass that information on to server 12, along withschema representation information to server 12, so that server 12 mayintelligently process the incoming address data.

The internal address book component 19 of client 16 provides a canonicalschema into which the addresses from the respective external addressbooks are formatted. The canonical schema is the symbolic representationof all postal address fields that are encountered in the respectiveexternal address books. These fields identify the semantics of thepostal fields used for a particular address book. FIG. 6 depicts thecanonical field names encountered for various address books.

As described above, client 16 transmits an address validation request toAMS server 12, along with the address data in a format that iscompatible with the internal canonical schema. However, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that a match may still be hard toobtain in the first stage, because of different formats that AMS server12 must attempt to map to the USPS-supported format.

In order to increase the likelihood of obtaining one or more matches,system 10 provides a set of query permutations to configure the inputaddress in various formats to enhance the likelihood of obtaining one ormore matches. In one illustrative embodiment, system 10 utilizes threedifferent permuting techniques to map different schema formats to theUSPS-supported schema, namely a direct permuter, a single line permuter,and a truncate permuter. Thus, a structured address is processed, priorto transmission to AMS server 12, using the three permuters to increasethe chance of finding a match for the address. Each permuter attempts tomap the available input fields to the USPS-supported schema, but with aslightly different form. It will be understood that more or lesspermuters can be used.

The direct permuter directly maps the input data to the USPS-supportedschema. FIG. 7 schematically shows a direct permutation processperformed on an address record consisting of three address line fields,in which the order of the first and second fields is switched, and thethird field (Address Line 3) is mapped to respective City, State, andZIP code fields in the internal canonical schema of system 10.

The single line permuter is used when the street address information isnot contained on a single line, for example, when the suite number is onits own line. The single line permuter appends the Address Line 2 datato Address Line 1 to create a single line for street address data. FIG.8 schematically shows such a permutation process.

The truncate permuter receives the direct permuter output and analyzesthe first address line to determine whether to modify the data in thatline. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the process steps of the truncatepermuter. Operation begins at step 100, and the first address line fromthe direct permuter output is taken. At query block 102, client 16determines whether there are three or fewer tokens in the address line.As used herein, a “token” is defined as an element that is separatedfrom other elements by commas, periods, tabs, spaces, apostrophes,quotes, colons, or semicolons.

If there are three or fewer tokens in the line, then operation proceedsto step 104, and the truncate permuter does not modify the address line,and operation ends. On the other hand, if there are more than threetokens in the address line, then operation instead proceeds to step 106,and client 16 compares the fourth through last tokens in the addressline with a list of common abbreviations. For example, the address linemay be “123 South Main St.”. The fourth token is “St”, which is found inthe list of common abbreviations. The list of common abbreviations willalso include other well-known abbreviations, such as “Ave”, “Blvd”,“NW”, “SW”, and the like.

Then, at query block 108, client 16 determines whether there is a match.If not, operation proceeds to step 110, and only the first three tokensare kept, and the fourth through last tokens are deleted from theaddress line. If there is a match in one of the fourth through lasttokens, then operation instead proceeds to step 112, and all tokensafter the matched token are dropped. For example, “123 South Main St.Harbor Marina” becomes “123 South Main St.”. This modified address isthen added to the ordered, permuted address list for validation at AMSserver 12.

As described above, each external address book has its own unique set offields, some of which are not mapped to the USPS-supported schema. Thedata in those fields is preferably saved by AMS server 12 in memoryduring the permutation and address validation process. Then, when avalidated address is returned to client 16, the data is reincorporatedinto the final address. For example, the external address book may havefields for Title and Department, which are not contained in theUSPS-supported schema. Thus, the data in those fields is removed duringthe conversion into the USPS-supported schema. Once a valid address isreturned, the data is reincorporated into the address that is presentedto the user.

Typically, when multiple matches are returned to client 16, the resultsdo not include Delivery Point Bar Code (DPBC) values. Thus, when a userselects one of the addresses, a second query is transmitted to AMSserver 12 to retrieve all necessary information concerning the selectedaddress, including a DPBC value. In another embodiment, AMS server 12 isprogrammed to return a DPBC value for each output address transmitted toclient 16. In yet another embodiment, AMS server 12, compares the input9-digit ZIP code with the ZIP code of each output address. For eachoutput address whose ZIP code matches the input ZIP code, the DPBC valueis retrieved and transmitted for each output address.

In one embodiment, system 10 ranks each of the potential matchesaccording to the following criteria: 1) when only a single address isreturned, no ranking is necessary; 2) all multiple addresses arereturned with a default ranking of “possible”; 3) addresses that matchthe firm name or ZIP code are ranked as “better”. Ranking is preferablyperformed by a series of conventional ranking agents, such as those thatdetermine if an address matches the input address Firm Name or ZIP code.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatthe system and method of the present invention provide for validatingaddresses through a central server. The system and method also providenovel techniques for improving the outcome of such address validatingprocedures.

While the above description contains many specific features of theinvention, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope ofthe invention, but rather as exemplary embodiments thereof. Many othervariations are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the invention shouldbe determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents.

1. A method for matching an address with a database of pre-approved addresses for printing on a value bearing item (VBI), the method comprising: storing a plurality of pre-approved addresses with a predetermined format in the database; receiving address data with different formats; mapping the received address data with the different formats into the predetermined format; comparing the received address data in the predetermined format to the pre-approved addresses in the database for validating the received address data; displaying a list of potential matches for selection by a user; receiving a match that is selected from the list of potential matches; sending a request to the database for address information corresponding to the received selected match; receiving the address information; and printing the received address information on the VBI.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing data in the predetermined format with pre-approved addresses in the database comprises accessing a remote database of addresses over a communication network.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the database is maintained by a remote address matching server.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises applying a plurality of query permuters to the address data to convert the address data into respective formats.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein applying a plurality of query permuters comprises applying at least one of a direct permuter and a single line permuter to the received address data.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying further comprises applying a truncate permuter to an output structure of the direct permuter.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing the received address data comprises comparing at least one field of the received address with a corresponding field of the pre-approved address.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the potential match is determined when at least one field of the received address is identical to a corresponding field of the pre-approved address.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the potential match is determined when at least one field of the received address exceeds a threshold matching value.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the potential match is determined when at least one field of the received address is identical to a corresponding field of the pre-approved address and at least one other field exceeds a threshold matching value.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the fields is city data.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the fields is street data.
 13. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the fields is zip code data.
 14. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the fields is state data.
 15. The method of claim 7, wherein the fields include street data, city data, and zip code data.
 16. A method for validating an address for printing on a value bearing item (VBI), the method comprising: storing a plurality of pre-approved addresses in a database; receiving the address from a user using a terminal remote from the database, over a wide area network; accessing the database; comparing the address received from the remote terminal to the database of pre-approved addresses; transmitting a list of potential matches to the remote terminal to be displayed on the remote terminal; receiving a match that is selected from a displayed list of potential matches; sending a request to the server for address information corresponding to the selected match; receiving the address information; and printing the received address information on the VBI.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing address information in a companion file upon a validation of the address.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the address comprises importing the address from a database of addresses.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: receiving a second address from a user; comparing selected information from the second address with stored information in the companion file; approving the second address for use if the selected information corresponds with the stored information in the companion file; and accessing the database if no match is found.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein comparing the second address with the stored addresses in the companion file comprises determining whether a stored address in the companion file is stale, and rejecting the stored address if it is stale.
 21. A method for matching an address with a pre-approved address for printing on a value bearing item (VBI), the method comprising: storing a plurality of pre-approved addresses with a predetermined format on a storage medium remote from the user terminal; receiving address data; mapping the received address data into the predetermined format; comparing the received address data in the predetermined format to the stored pre-approved addresses for validating the received address data; displaying a list of one or more potential matches for selection by a user; receiving a match that is selected from the list of one or more potential matches by the user; sending a request to the server for address information corresponding to the match selected by the user; receiving address information; and printing the received address information on the VBI.
 22. A method for matching an address with a pre-approved address for printing on a value bearing item (VBI), the method comprising: storing a plurality of pre-approved addresses with a predetermined format on a storage medium remote from a user terminal; storing previously validated address information in a companion file on the user terminal; receiving address data; mapping the received address data into the predetermined format; comparing the received address data in the predetermined format with stored information in the companion file; comparing the received address data in the predetermined format to the pre-approved addresses for validating the received address data; displaying a list of one or more potential matches for selection by a user; receiving a match that is selected from the list of one or more potential matches by the user; sending a request to the server for address information corresponding to the match selected by the user; receiving address information; and printing the received address information on the VBI.
 23. A method for matching an address with a pre-approved address for printing on a value bearing item (VBI), the method comprising: storing a plurality of pre-approved addresses with a predetermined format; receiving address data from a user terminal; mapping the received address data into the predetermined format; comparing the received address data in the predetermined format to the pre-approved addresses for validating the received address data; sending a list of one or more potential matches for selection by a user to the remote terminal for display; receiving a request for address information corresponding to the match selected from the list of one or more potential matches; and sending address information corresponding to the selected match to the user terminal for printing on the VBI. 